Chalk Painting Our Front Porch Bench

I really enjoy the transformational process that occurs when I chalk paint furniture. We purchased this bench from Grandinroad. It is the prefect size for our porch; however, we changed our minds about the color (black) and decided to chalk paint it so it blended better with our porch.

I lightly sanded the bench to rough up the finish to ensure the paint would stick. I wiped it down with a damp rag and let it dry. I did the sanding outside. However, I cover my kitchen island with paper and carefully paint inside. The Alabama heat is torture during the summer! ☀️

I always start painting furniture on the bottom or underneath. This is my favorite chalk paint. I like this brand and color. Even though it is a small jar, it goes a long way. I purchase it at Home Depot, but you can also purchase it from Amazon. In this picture, I started painting over the black. I took my time to be sure I painted every nook and cranny. There are several crevices.

I check it from every angle to be sure I did not miss any spots. I also interrupt Neal from working 😏 and have him double check me. I let the first coat dry and then paint a second coat of the chalk paint to ensure even coverage. This is a picture of the back.Now I am ready to sand off some of the chalk paint to reveal portions of the black. I moved it outside to sand it.

I first start with all the edges. I sand all the like areas before moving to another “like area”. For example, I do all the legs, then both arms, then the back, then the seat, etc. This helps me to ensure consistency.

On some pieces of furniture, I just sand the edges and on some I sand the edges first and then come back and sand some of the flat areas. It just depends on the look you desire. After I initially sanded all the edges, Neal looked at it and wanted me to sand the flat areas too. So I did!

Below are some closeup pictures after sanding.

I want the spots revealed to be random (no uniform). I also try to sand the areas that would be naturally worn a little more.

I look it over multiple times to be sure that I did not miss any section and ensure a uniform look.Now it is time to wipe it down with a cloth to remove the dust that occurred from sanding and prepare for polyurethane. In many instances, I use a blower before wiping it down with a cloth to remove the dust. It is essential to get all the dust off.Now, it is time for polyurethane. I use this Minwax wipe-on poly. I put 2 coats of poly on the bench and made sure to let it dry between coats (let dry overnight between coats). I actually let it dry on the porch. When the poly is dry, I added my pillows.Neal and I were pleased with the results! It welcomes our guests and I sometimes sit here when watching the dogs (Ladybug and Daisy) in the front yard. 🐶😉Voila! Welcome to our home!